Airlines are serious about "green", green-branded cars "occupy" the airport, and aircraft fuel comes from kitchen waste

May 15th is National Low Carbon Day, and China Eastern Airlines released the latest progress of the company’s green transformation. The implementation of measures such as turning food waste into aviation fuel and comprehensive plastic restrictions on aircraft supplies shows that for airlines, "green" is not just a slogan, but also a "full bloom" in real scenarios.

In recent years, sustainable flying has taken on a new meaning. In the past, airlines mainly discussed how to assist "veteran captains" to step on the accelerator through intelligent means to achieve cost reduction and energy saving. Nowadays, concepts such as "full life cycle carbon neutrality" and "sustainable fuel" have become popular.

On May 27, 2023, China Eastern Airlines refueled 15% sustainable aviation fuel blend on flight MU2225 from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport to Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, successfully completing the first commercial application of SAF.

The above-mentioned flights were refilled with "Made in China" SAF, which was refined and produced by Sinopec Zhenhai Refinery using waste catering oil as raw material. The transformation of "from kitchen waste to aviation fuel" has allowed waste to be reduced and realized Reuse.

According to statistics, so far, China Eastern Airlines has launched 10 "sustainable flight" themed flights.

Of course, with the help of the latest "smart civil aviation" project, airlines continue to optimize flight altitudes, take straight turns, optimize parking spaces, optimize taxiing routes, accurately estimate passenger baggage weight, accurately prepare meals, optimize aircraft center of gravity and other refinements Efforts will be made in fuel management and control to improve the fuel efficiency of flights.

Biodegradable cutlery, forks, spoons and recyclable tableware on China Eastern Airlines flights.

In October 2021, China Eastern Airlines took the lead among domestic airlines in completing material changes for 19 types of in-flight supplies, including disposable knives, forks and spoons, blankets, slippers, magazines, outer packaging bags of wet wipes, etc.

In April 2022, China Eastern Airlines further expanded the scope of plastic restriction, clarified the use scenarios of degradable materials for in-flight supplies, further increased the range of degradable materials for in-flight supplies to 28 types, and added simple toothbrushes, candy bars, and "China Eastern Airlines' Cup of Tea" , cushion paper, etc. packaging.

In July 2023, China Eastern continued to expand the range of biodegradable materials for aircraft supplies, adding outer packaging bags and internal materials for towels, various paper supplies, toiletry bags and other materials, and once again standardized the use scope and application scenarios of relevant aircraft supplies. .

At present, China Eastern has completely replaced a total of 56 types of disposable non-degradable plastic products on domestic passenger flights, and is gradually expanding the scope to international passenger flights.

China Eastern Airlines said they hope to attract the public to participate in green causes. For example, if passengers see the "double J" logo on the packaging of their in-flight supplies, it means that they are personally participating in the cause of green environmental protection. Another example is the launch of a “carbon emission calculator” to allow passengers to understand the carbon emission value of personal flights.

On May 27, 2023, China Eastern Airlines set up a "sustainability" area on China Eastern Airlines' official website and China Eastern Airlines APP. Passengers can participate in green tasks through the special area, such as "dining on demand", "wi-fi on board", "cancel checked baggage", "use electronic boarding pass", "air-rail combined transport", "air-bus combined transport", etc., to reduce personal carbon emissions. After completing green tasks, passengers can receive electronic medals and "Eastern Miles" points.

Currently, 2,181 China Eastern Airlines passengers have participated in the green mission.

In addition to the air, the ground is also the "green battlefield" for airlines.

On the apron, China Eastern Airlines currently uses new energy vehicles with green license plates for ground vehicles such as water treatment trucks, sewage trucks, baggage handling trucks, and cargo handling trucks for flights out of Shanghai to reduce carbon emissions on the ground.

Not long ago, 150 new energy forklifts developed by China Eastern Airlines Equipment Company were put into use at the Pudong West District Cargo Terminal of China Eastern Logistics. New energy forklifts abandon traditional engines and completely eliminate harmful gas emissions generated during operation, achieving "zero emissions" and "zero pollution" during operation. The vehicle battery is equipped with a constant temperature management system and can be quickly charged in just 30 minutes. Significantly enhanced continuous operation capability.

150 battery counterbalanced forklifts are put into use at the Pudong West District cargo terminal of China Eastern Logistics.

According to the relevant person in charge of China Eastern Airlines, the sustainable development of large airlines is a comprehensive and systematic project, involving multiple aspects such as overall flight operations, ground support, business services, passenger services, and air cargo.

In recent years, China Eastern Airlines has conducted a comprehensive and full-process review of the sustainable initiatives at each node, and formed and released the China Eastern Airlines "Sustainable Flight Action Guide" with a total of 99 sustainable initiatives.

Not only is the main aviation industry undergoing green transformation, China Eastern Airlines' assets under China Eastern Airlines are also increasing the use of new energy sources such as building photovoltaics.

China Eastern Asset took the lead in establishing the Shanghai Yuan Architecture Research Institute, the Academic Committee and the Science and Technology Innovation Project Review Committee to form an "academic investment" review mechanism for new energy buildings, focusing on carrying out special research on zero-carbon buildings and light storage, direct softness, and targeting more projects under construction. The project promotes green building star certification.

For projects that have been completed, China Eastern Assets has launched the China Eastern Binjiang Intelligent Building Management Platform Project, using information technology and centralized management mode to monitor and digitally manage the energy consumption of each construction project to tap energy-saving potential.

China Eastern Assets promotes the application of green building-related technologies in new projects. The picture shows the renderings of the zero-carbon building project on Lot 4, Longhua, Shanghai.

Why are airlines starting to take “green” seriously? This is because green transformation is not just an initiative, but has been transformed from consensus into industry regulations.

Just as the International Maritime Organization has clarified the carbon emission reduction requirements for ships in shipping, the domestic Civil Aviation Administration has also put forward clear requirements for airlines.

For example, in May 2021, the Civil Aviation Administration of China issued the "Work Plan for Plastic Pollution Control in the Civil Aviation Industry." In addition, the Civil Aviation Industry Plastic Restriction Group Standard "Replacement Specifications for Disposable Non-degradable Plastic Products on Domestic Passenger Flights" also requires aircraft supplies to be "replaceable" and use degradable materials.

From the air to the ground, green and sustainable flight continues to move from concept to practice in the pursuit of airlines.